Love/Paranoia A2 Music Video

Editing

My editing experience this year has been demanding. I have spent the majority of my time editing our video together and am determined to have the highest quality outcome of every single shot clearly shown in the final outcome. My overall aim is for every shot to be developed and made better through my editing intense and precise process. My goal is for anyone watching the music video on YouTube to be able to pause the video on any given shot at any time and to be impressed with the aesthetics and content of the video. The editing process for the shots with staring Lizzie and Sam was very intense, a lot of precise match on match editing had to be done. We also filmed on two different cameras which meant I had to scan through both memory cards to fill in gaps in the filming and choose the best shots to add to the final cut of the video. Editing the shots of Seb with neon face paint was a new and challenging experience as adjusting the levels to ensure the background stayed as pitch black as possible in hopes of bringing out the brightness of the face paint proved difficult as parts of Seb's face would turn darker and blend in with the background. The outcome of the intense editing the shots underwent paid off however as the neon face paint worked so well with the adjustments I made to the colour levels and orange tones in the shots. One of the hardest things to edit in the video was the overlaying shots of Luke and Ellie, to give a trippy and confusing effect on some of the shots we achieved whilst filming in Rochester (taking inspiration from similar shots in Tame Impala music videos) to add to this we had planned out a very intricate shot before we left for filming and it relied strongly on my editing once it was uploaded, using the best shots off of the memory card and both simple and advanced editing software at my disposal, I was able to achieve the outcome that Ellie and I desired when we set out for filming.

Filming with Micky

Ellie and I cast Micky to act with a set of props rather than just one, the yellow smoke grenades and powder paint. We decided on this as we felt that the video already features a range of actors and to include more may be a step to far (even with our chosen genre often using many actors to confuse the plot of the video). We began filming at around 3:30pm, we therefore had to take into account that during winter the lighting we were working with at 3:30pm would dramatically change just half an our into filming. Because of this we decided to film with the powder paint first. Whilst setting up our filming location, an hour before Micky was due to arrive, Ellie and I found that the large white backing sheet we had intended to use as the background of our set was not the best backdrop to use. We found that the backdrop was creased and this showed on the camera. Not only this but the backdrop was extremely difficult to secure to the wall and would continuously fall down after staying secure for a few minutes. However, Ellie and I had luckily allowed an hour for us to set up the set before Micky arrived and so we searched for other suitable backdrops. We decided on a brick wall backdrop, not only was this a secure and aesthetically pleasing background, but through the masses of research I have conducted into music videos, various bands and artists use back walls as backdrops to certain shots as it gives a rustic and grungy effect.

As soon as Micky arrived he changed into his costume of white trousers and a white t-shirt, I provided this costume as it would most likely get ruined throughout the process of filming with powder paint. We decided on an all white costume as it would allow the props to stand out and when it came to editing the colours of the various props could be manipulated and the white costume would keep the process simple and mainly focus on the brightly coloured powder paint and smoke. Ellie and I aimed to use Micky covered in powder paint as na opportunity to add more lip syncing into our video, I had made some notes prior to filing about where in the video Micky lip syncing would work best. We had asked Micky almost a month previously to learn the words to our chosen song and so he came prepared the the filming session. When it came to filming we used a tripod at the beginning of the filming session and as the session progressed we unmounted the camera in hopes of gaining a variety of shots closer to Micky and the thrown powder paint. We made sure to continuously check the camera quality and ensured that whilst filing the camera remained in focus. When moving onto the smoke grenade shots, I used the notes that I had made prior to filming to ensure that we used the research I had collected on the prop. I made notes on how to successfully and effectively use the grenade as I had never used this prop before and I had only purchased three and did not want to waste them. After purchasing the prop I researched how long the smoke lasts for once the chain has been pulled, 90 seconds of smoke would follow this, I informed Micky of how long he would have with the smoke and directed him on some of the actions and movements he should make with the prop (thinking of how I could edit the movements when it came to that stage). We used a large field with tall oak trees coating its outskirts to film Micky with the yellow smoke, the lighting of the shots although planned differently worked to our advantage as it allowed the smoke and Micky, dressed in all white to stand out against the dark trees and grass.

Overall, I believe this filming session with Micky to be one of our best outcomes. I think this is not only down to the unique and effective props that we have chosen, but our casting. Micky took direction very well and worked with us throughout filming. He also learnt the words to the whole of our song and learnt this in his own time and arrived on set prepared to start filming right away. I now look forward to editing the shots we have gained together and integrating in into our music video. 

Filming of ink shots

Ink in water:

Taking inspiration from the first three shots used in Tame Impala's "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards", using a large fish tank, a needle purchased on amazon, a variety of coloured oil paint and ink we filmed a variety of shots showing the ink move through the water. We also used paint on a large piece of white card, we then showed this paint dripping down the card. These shots when edited could later be made to look stunning and bright in colour in keeping with the psychedelic genre, with specific editing software the shots could also be flipped and reversed. Before we filmed the shots with the ink I researched on YouTube how to get the best quality shots when filming with ink in water. Through watching 'Hypnotic Ink Physics in 4K Slow Motion - The Slow Mo Guys' through the process of watching this video and other forms of research, I found that by mixing coloured ink with cream allows the ink to keep its shape as it moves through the water allowing time for us to ensure the camera was focused and that the shots we left the shoot with were accurate. To add to this through watching this video I was given the idea to use a needle to inject the ink into the water as when using a pep-pet the ink would disperse into the water to quickly and the tank would have to be emptied and refilled with clean water over and over again. 

Model hands and paint:
Taking inspiration from Tame Impala's 'The Less I Know The Better' music video. At one point the boy in the video runs into a bathroom and vomits into a toilet. The liquid comes out blood red, and the next scene we’re transported into is a black abyss. The red liquid falls onto an invisible shape of a woman, colours drizzle and swirl to reveal her entire form. This is done with some impressive 3D animation which paves the way for the 2D collage of images that take over toward the end of the video. The transition into this animation is a welcome one in which images from the video collide to into a sketchy brightly coloured sequence of images. Taking inspiration from these shots we used mannequin arms against a white background (we tried using a black background but it was too reflective and the camera could be seen in the shot) using the paint I purchased we poured the paint over the objects in a style similar to that of 'The Less I Know The Better' music video. However, we found the paint was too thick and so we washed off the objects and filmed the shots again expect this time learning from our mistakes we used a jug to mix the coloured paint and some water together. We then used an empty bottle of paint and filled it with the watery paint. When we then filmed the mannequin shots again the paint looked far more aesthetically pleasing and stuck to the contours of the mannequins hands and arm smoothly. 

Filming with Seb

As planned we used the neon face paint I purchased to film with Seb. The filming location we used that worked almost perfectly was our school dark room, which is normally used for developing. As Seb is not part of our schools sixth form Ellie and I had to get him a visitors pass so he would be allowed to film on the school premise. We had set the dark room up before he had arrived and so wasted no time in getting to work filming. I brought both makeup brushed and paint brushes to the filming session. The large brushes Ellie and I used to create large strokes on Seb's cheeks and neck. The smaller brushes we then used to make smaller details, creating shapes and patterns down Seb's nose and around his lips and eyes. We used a small fan brush coated in yellow neon face paint to coat Seb's eyelashes this gave a really interesting effect when filmed as Seb blinked, something that is normally overlooked, neon face paint highlighted this and brings it to the forefront of the viewers attention. To make sure that the face paint was looking as good as it did while creating we made sure to keep turning the lights off and using the black light torch to check on the face paint as we built it up. We finally used a mixture of white and blue neon face paint to paint Seb's lips. In preparation we had asked Seb to learn the words to our chosen song. Learning from our successes and failures we asked Seb to lip sync as much as possible and filmed much more than we needed, this then ensured that we had shots to fall back on if when it came to editing some of the shots weren't what we were looking for. One of the hardest things to overcome on this particular filming session was that due to the lack of lighting it was extremely difficult to keep the camera in focus at all times. Especially when we decided to give some shots a unique edge by moving the blacklight torch about Seb's face. The camera for these shots needed to be constantly adjusted and put back into focus. Overall, I am very pleased with the outstanding effort made by Seb who took direction and even came up with ideas himself that helped Ellie and I. I am also pleased to say that I believe the outcome of this filming session to be positive. The neon face paint shows a unique take on ordinary close lip-syncing. This is not something you see in many music videos, but it works so well with our chosen genre and I look forward to adjusting the levels when editing to show the full effect of the neon face paint and the mood it will set in our final outcome. 

Filming Ellie and Luke

Ellie and I decided to film the couple narrative first as we had planned for these shots to start and end the video we felt it was a good place to start. We filmed in Rochester as planned and set up for filming in vines early in the morning to ensure we had the daylight for as long as we may need to film. Ellie and I both filmed, Ellie filmed all the shots that she did not have to be in and I filmed the shots that included both Ellie and Luke. We used a tripod for the majority of the shots but for tracking shots we hand held the camera and kept it as steady as possible (any slightly shaky shots could be stabilised at a later date of editing). Before we set out for filming Ellie and I created a list of the shots that we wanted to achieve during the filming session this would then suture that we left nothing out as if we had to refill these shots it would be nearly impossible as it turned out to be a very sunny day for the time of year and this may not have happened on a second filming day. Ellie and I find match on match very important especially in regards to the main narrative. Luckily we stuck to the list tightly and filmed far more than we needed just to be sure. We also experimented with Luke lip syncing some lines, this however was unsuccessful. The lighting of certain shots made it very hard to focus the camera, so we had to take our time ensuring every shot was focussed, partially the ones we had planned to a T. One shot that Ellie and I had planned quite extensively was a shot that takes inspiration from Tame Impala's 'The Less I Know The Better' music video. The shot follows the boy and girl in the video as they walk past each other, they both look at each other for a split second and the camera shows a one second shot of both of their faces as this moment unfolds, the shots then follows the girls as she walks off, the boy can be seen in the background. The girl then turns round as she is walking and plays with her hair as she looks at the boy and continues to walk backwards. We decided to put our own unique spin on this shot and Luke and Ellie acted well together as I filmed from various angles. We attempted this shot many times to ensure it was to the best of our ability.

The shots that were not planned also took us to an unplanned location, we filmed some shots of Ellie following Luke in and about the High-street. We then set off to film on Rochester's pier as we decided to film the ending of the music video in this location due to lyric near the end of the song. The water was at high tide and looked very aesthetically pleasing. The bright blue sky reflected off of the water beautify and we wasted no time in ensuring we got the shots we needed while it was still light. I filmed from many different angles and Ellie and Luke both walked up to the edge of the pier from a mixture of entry points so we could use the best one when looking at the shots at a later stage before editing. Overall, the filming session was very successful and by constantly referring to the sheet Ellie and I used to plan we were able to come away with many extra useful shots that we had not planned on filming. I am glad to say that the filming session was successful, due to the sudden change in narrative and song choice Ellie and I were determined to make the situation work as we felt it was the right one to make.